Sharaa-Trump deal brings US hegemony to Syria via the back door

italiatelegraph

Joseph Daher

This week, the Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was welcomed at the White House by US President Donald Trump, a first for a Syrian head of state. This visit symbolises great strides in the strategy to gain regional and international recognition that has been pursued by Syria’s new ruling authorities since they took power in December 2024. It also serves to strengthen the leadership’s power by weakening their political and economic isolation.

Trump praised al-Sharaa for being a “strong leader,” and voiced confidence in him, while vowing to do everything he can to make Syria successful.

Prior to the visit, Washington had removed the Syrian leader from its terrorist blacklist, notably following requests from Turkey and Israel. Prior to this, the UN Security Council lifted sanctions against al-Sharaa and his Interior Minister, Anas Khattab, thanks to the US.

The State Department also announced a further suspension of US sanctions for six months under the Caesar Act, pending a possible permanent lifting by Congress. Syrian authorities have also been allowed to resume operations at their embassy in Washington.

What the US wants…
We should be under no illusion that Washington’s rehabilitation of a ‘weak Syria,’ and rapprochement with the country’s new ruling authorities, is entirely related to Trump advancing his own geopolitical interests and regional hegemony.

The so-called “fight against terrorism” is one of the campaigns being used to facilitate these interests. For example, Syria joined the US-led international anti-jihadist coalition against ISIS, and even prior to this, al-Sharaa has been more than willing to show the country’s readiness to become a member. In fact, just a couple of days before the US visit, the Syrian interior minister announced a series of nationwide operations conducted against ISIS cells, which included 61 raids that resulted in 71 people being arrested, as well as the seizure of explosives and weapons.

Moreover, Syrian and US armed forces have reportedly conducted joint operations against ISIS over the past few months. In September, following his meeting at the Presidential Palace in Damascus with Commander Adm. Brad Cooper, and U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, al-Sharaa was thanked for his contribution to fighting against ISIS.

While Hayat Tahrir al-Sham had fought against ISIS and al-Qaida during their rule in Idlib prior to the fall of the Assad regime (with discreet involvement from Turkey and Western states), joining the coalition and taking various steps to show its ‘commitment’ to the mission, has served as a confidence-building measure. This is intended not only to show its allegiance to the US, but also to persuade its Congress to lift the sanctions.

Isolating enemies
For al-Sharaa, the US visit is now also a tool to pressure the Kurdish led Autonomous Administration of the North East of Syria (AANES) to accept its inclusion in Syria’s state administration and army, under his own conditions and giving Damascus control over the northeast. Because despite asserting that Syria was now capable of single-handedly fighting ISIS, he claims the resurgence of ISIS was connected, in particular, to the fact that northeastern Syria had not yet come under his leadership’s control.

For the interim president, the best solution would be for US troops to oversee the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the state security forces.

Also included in the plans to strengthen American control over the country and region (as well as protect its ally Israel), is the project to set up a US airbase in Damascus. This is to support a security agreement that US officials are negotiating between Syria and Israel. The military base would be strategically situated at the gateway of southern Syria, which is expected to make up a potential demilitarised zone as part of a non-aggression pact with Israel.

What this will look like is still up for discussion, but notably, Syria will be expected to promise to prevent its territory from being used to attack Israel.

Indeed, despite the fact that the Israeli occupation army expanded its occupation of Syrian lands following the toppling of Assad, and the ongoing pressure it puts on Damascus to obtain further concessions, al-Sharaa seems to be bending over backwards to show Israeli ruling classes that they aren’t a threat.

He recently stated that Syria is engaged in ongoing and direct negotiations with Israel to reach a final agreement, and that they must withdraw to the pre-December 8 borders. But adding to the ongoing concessions being made in Israel’s favour, he failed to mention the Syrian Golan Heights which have been occupied since 1967 and then annexed by Tel Aviv in 1981, which raises concerns of future concessions.

Additionally, for the new leaders in Syria, consolidating US presence– as well as that of regional allies, including Turkey and the Gulf monarchies – will prevent any influence from Iran and Hezbollah, and would serve to continue weakening the new enemies. This is also why the ruling authorities have increased control of the Syrian border with Lebanon, where weapons and cash destined for Hezbollah have been seized on different occasions since the beginning of the year.

This strategy unsurprisingly also plays perfectly into Washington’s desire to prevent Hezbollah’s reconstruction and undermine any influence it has in Lebanon.

Ultimately, the Washington visit and agreements made prior, during, and after the event, all make clear that there is no equal exchange in interests or relations between the US and Syria. The meeting only reinforced the continued submission of Damascus’ ruling authorities to US interests. In exchange, al-Sharaa and his government get to maintain ‘power’ for as long as possible.

Join us on WhatsApp
Syria’s new rulers know that the relief of sanctions and the end of political and economic isolation are dependent on them following US orders, and more generally Trump’s political orientation when it comes to the region. Their plan is obvious: liberalise the economy, pursue austerity measures, and attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) from Western states as well as regional allies including the Gulf monarchies and Turkey.

They are trying very hard to present to their population that this alliance, which includes normalisation with Israel, is the only way forward to improve and secure the country’s future.

However, the majority of the Syrian population still supports the liberation of the Syrian occupied territories, including the occupied Golan, and is in solidarity with Palestinians. Not to mention, the economic policies of the current ruling authorities leading to growing frustration and criticism among wide sections of society. This was recently demonstrated with the rise of electricity tariffs that have further impoverished the people.

The political and economic choices being made by Syria’s rulers are to the detriment of national sovereignty, and are not benefitting the population, despite attempt to sell such a lie. The people’s needs and interests are clearly far from a leading factor in the decisions being made by the ruling authorities.